Political, Business, and Investment Outlook for Côte d’Ivoire
Those interviewed include ministers of the new government that took office after the end of the civil war that rocked the country from November 2010 to April 2011; including; leaders of trade or business associations, and corporation presidents, CEOs and managers. It is, therefore, the purpose of this Marcopolis Country Report to present their views and outlook for the future.
Political, Business, and Investment Outlook for Côte d’Ivoire—2012 and Beyond
The problem of giving an adequate picture of the country is further complicated by the fact that for the previous decade—from as far back as 1999—the economy has not been able to demonstrate either its once existing dynamism or its true potential.
For a country that has just been through a dozen years of strife and violence, cops d’etat, and armed uprisings, needing the involvement of the United Nations and the arrival of thousands of international forces to prevent bloodshed, which all led to a bloody five-month civil war, it is not possible to give the same kind of economic facts and statistics that have been given in previous Marcopolis Country Reports.
This is because, for the past six months, since the new government was re-establishe—by the inauguration on May 21st of the new president elected the previous November—Côte d’Ivoire has been struggling to raise itself up from the chaos of war, to re-establish order and functioning government, and to restart its economy.
The problem of giving an adequate picture of the country is further complicated by the fact that for the previous decade—from as far back as 1999—the economy has not been able to demonstrate either its once existing dynamism or its true potential.
Therefore, let us begin this Report by giving the best picture that we can of a country that, if it does restore government and good order, is likely to become one of the brightest destinations for investor capital in Africa.
Between September and December 2011, Marcopolis interviewed 28 business and governmental leaders in Côte d’Ivoire to get their views on the economic and political outlook for business and investment in Côte d’Ivoire in 2012 and beyond. In these interviews, they also outlined their own company’s, agency’s, or industry’s plans for the near future.
Those interviewed include ministers of the new government that took office after the end of the civil war that rocked the country from November 2010 to April 2011; including; leaders of trade or business associations, and corporation presidents, CEOs and managers. It is, therefore, the purpose of this Marcopolis Country Report to present their views and outlook for the future.
Before proceeding to their responses to our questions, however, let me present as much of the background and essential facts as possible in a brief report, so that the reader will be able to appreciate the observations and insights of Côte d’Ivoire’s top business and governmental leaders.